Grooming

Grooming is when someone builds an emotional connection with a child, gaining their trust for sexual purposes including sexual abuse, sexual exploitation or trafficking. This can happen online or offline.

A person may do this by:

• Pretending to be someone they are not
• Buying gifts
• Acting as a mentor
• Giving the child attention/flattery

Reporting

Grooming is illegal and any suspicion or known grooming attempt should be reported to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Agency (CEOP).

If a young person is at immediate risk of harm please dial 999.

Most common social networking sites will also have reporting routes for this type of content: